Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said Saturday that during his working

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said Saturday that during his working visit to Moscow on Friday he invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit Armenia.

"Putin accepted my invitation and we hope this year we will receive the Russian prime minister," Sargsyan said, adding that the visit would become an impetus to implement the programs on which mutual agreements have been reached.

The Armenian premier said Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak have also been invited.

At Friday's meeting, Putin said Russia will grant Armenia a $500 million loan following approval by the lower house.

"We have almost finished working on the issue of granting Armenia a $500 million loan, we are implementing this agreement. The budget should be approved by the State Duma. I hope this will be completed in the near future," he told Sargsyan.

Russia and Armenia signed a preliminary agreement on the stabilization loan on February 9. In line with the agreement, the loan is granted for 15 years with a four-year grace period.